The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) will launch its new visual identity at JEC World 2023 in Paris on April 25th-27th. The association will also present a major update of its Eco Impact Calculator which will enable users to obtain more accurate life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations for their composite products.
The new branding reinforces EuCIA’s mission as the unified voice of the entire European composites value chain.
“We also want to convey the durability, lightness and circularity of composite materials as well as the significant role they can play in achieving our common goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” explains Roberto Frassine, President of EuCIA. “As EuCIA we continue to expand our and strategic initiatives in order to support the sustainable growth of the composites industry in Europe and at JEC World we look forward to demonstrating the latest version of our Eco Impact Calculator, which answers a growing need to provide detailed information on the environmental impact of composite products.”
Accurate life cycle assessments
The Eco Impact Calculator is an online tool which enables composites companies to calculate the environmental impact associated with the production of their products. The recent update, on display at EuCIA’s booth T59 in Hall 6, will enable users to take advantage of the latest environmental data and software, resulting in more accurate life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations.
Free to access on EuCIA’s website (ecocalculator.eucia.eu), the Eco Impact Calculator is an easy to use LCA tool which calculates the environmental impact of polymer composite products from cradle to gate, using a transparent and uniform sector methodology for processes following ISO 14.040/044. Users do not need any in-depth knowledge of LCA techniques to use the tool and the data can be exported in the form of an Eco Report listing three sustainability indicators: carbon footprint (Greenhouse Gas Protocol); Cumulative Energy Demand (CED); and ILCD (International Reference Life Cycle Data System) sustainability score. The data can be downloaded for import into the SimaPro LCA software to allow for full life cycle calculations.
The updated Eco Impact Calculator incorporates the latest versions of these three impact assessment methods, the SimaPro software (9.3.0.3) and Ecoinvent database (3.8). The resulting LCA calculations, based on the latest information, will therefore be more accurate.
Existing users will be able to recalculate the LCAs for products already saved in the system using the new datasets.
Sustainability-focused conferences
EuCIA will also play an active role in the JEC World conference programme. Raphaël Pleynet, EuCIA’s Managing Director, will act as moderator for the conference session Less is Better: Reducing Waste, Costs, Energy & Time for Sustainable Composites Manufacturing, on April 26th (12:00-13:00, Agora 5 presentation area), and will be on the panel of speakers discussing 4 Rs (Recycling, Reusing, Repurposing, Repairing): Composites in a Circular Economy, on April 27th (12:00-13:00, Agora 5). Roberto Frassine will moderate the session Join the Composites Industry and Contribute to a More Sustainable Future, on April 27th (12:00-13:00, Agora 6).
Website: www.eucia.eu